The Whitefire Crossing

I grabbed The Whitefire Crossing (by Courtney Schafer) in the Barnes-and-Nobles of Provo, Utah, after one great day of ice-climbing and because of the nice cover! The main plot is about a smuggler+mountain guide taking a hidden mage away from a magicians’ city. The Whitefire is the mountain range the group must cross to reach a safe haven where magic is banned. The first part of the book is quite enticing, taking place in the mountains with several stories of climbs and rescues. There is however a limit on the number of climbs you can describe in a book and the second part of The Whitefire Crossing is more tepid, in my opinion. This is the author’s first book and the way characters interact with one another somehow reflects upon this. The plot is indeed rather predictable and the very final twist not really unexpected. (The [unavoidable] love relation is clear to anyone but the main character from the very beginning of the book!) The cover is also going against mountaineering (obvious) practice that the most experienced climber stands at the back when going down…   The Whitefire Crossing still remains an enjoyable book (I had to rescue over and over from my son’s room as  he kept stealing it from me!) and I am looking forward the sequel, The Tainted City, as obviously are more enthusiastic reviewers, here and there. And there.